Babies Born Addicted

New Ominous Threat to babies from
the use and abuse of painkillers by mothers during pregnancy

According to Mark Hudak, who served on the committee of the Florida
Agency for Health Care Administration, the problem of drug-exposed babies
"has escalated across the country." Hudak is a professor of pediatrics and
division chief for neonatology at the University
of Florida, College
of Medicine in Jacksonville.

The problem is the widespread abuse of legally prescribed
addictive drugs that focus is to alleviate pain.

"The abuse of these 'painkillers'
has escalated in the United States to such an extent that there is now a growing
overdose epidemic....The trend reflects how deeply rooted abuse of powerful
narcotics, such as OxyContin and Vicodin, has become. Prescription drug abuse is the nation's
fastest-growing drug problem, classified as an epidemic by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention." Steve
Cannon, AP, Florida

In the wake of this painkiller epidemic is another ominous
problem: babies being born addicted!

"A new report issued by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention indicates almost 1,400 babies were born
suffering from drug withdrawal symptoms in 2010, according to a CNN story written by Steve Turnham and Amber Lyon.
That's four times the number of addicted babies that were born in 2003,
revealing a pregnancy drug abuse epidemic that is quickly spiraling out of
control."

The challenge of this emerging epidemic of addiction to pain
killers needs to be met by a three pronged approach:

Increased
regulations on the production and distribution of painkillers. New
Jersey has already taken steps.